Trace.



No'. 849,668. PATENTBD APR. 9,` `1907'. w. H. PAILOR. TRACE.

APPLICATION FILED MR.24, 1908.

wiLLiAM n. rAiLon, or eARLisLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application filed March 24, 1906. Serial No. 307,838.

To all whom 'llt may concern.-

Be it known that l, WILLIAM H. 'FAiLoiL a citizen of the United States,residing at Carlisle, in the county ot Cumberland and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTraces, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in traces, and more particularly toone made of two detachable sections, one of which is carried by theharness and the other by the vehicle, so that the horse or draft-animalmay be quickly and conveniently hitched and unhitched without thenecessity oi' adjusting and `fastening the holdback-straps or passingthe traces through the usual guides on the shafts and attaching theirrear ends to the swingletree.

The object ot the invention is to provide a two-part trace of thischaracter having a simple and practical detachable coupling and meansfor supporting its sections or members from the harness and the shaftsor thills of the vehicle.

Other objects and advantages of my invention, as well as the structuralfeatures by means of which these objects are attained, will be madeclear by an examination ot' the specification, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which the same referencenumerals indicatecorresponding parts throughout, and in which* Figure 1 is a plan view ofa portion of a vehicle shaft or thill and a harness, showing theapplication of my improved draft-trace. Figs. 2 and are perspectiveviews ot' the two members of the trace-coupling; and F ig. 4 is atransverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the planeindicated by the line 4 4 in Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of thearrow.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes my improved trace, whichis Vformed of two sections 2 and 8, adapted to be quickly and easilyconnected and disconnected by means of a coupling consisting olE twomembers 4 and 5. '.lhe trace-section 2 has the coupling member 4 uponits Vforward enel, and its rear end is secured to the swingletree 7 onthe cross-piece of the shafts; but any other suitable connection may becmployed. The trace-section 3 has the coup- [ling member 5 upon its rearend, and its viront end is connected in the usual maimer to thebreast-strap or collar of the harness S.

The coupling member 4 is preferably in the form ol a hollow rectangularbody or casting in one end. oi which the trace-section 2 `is secured byrivets or similar `fastenings 9. The other end of this body or castingIis rounded and open to receive the spring jaws or arms 10 upon the othercoupling member 5. The top and bottom oi' said body or casting isrecessed or cut away slightly at said open end, as shown at 1.1, and insaid top and bottom are Vlormed recesses or openings 12, which 'formseats vfor the spring-arms 10. Upon the inner side oi the body orcasting adjacent to its open 'forward end is provided a loop 13 toreceive a strap or similar connection 14, which passes loosely aroundthe sh af t 6 and supports the forward. end ol the tracesection 2, sothat the latter will always be within convenient reach. As shown, theloop 13 is cast integral with said body 5 but it may be formed. separateand secured thereto. The coupling member 5 is also in the vform' of ahollow casting having the rear end of the trace-section 3 secured in oneol its open ends by rivets or the like 15. arms 10 are pivoted in theother open end et this casting by rivets, bolts, or the like 16, passedtransversely therethrough, and their projecting outer ends are `forcedapart by a flat spring 17, disposed. between them, as shown. Said outerends of the arms 1() are beveled, as at 1S, to permit them to readilyenter the open end of the coupling member 4, and upon their outer lacesare 'formed vertically-projecting lugs 19, which are adapted to enter orseat in the recesses or openings 12 in the top and bottoni walls of themember 4 to lock the latter to the member 5. ln order to permit the arms10 to be readily forced together, so that they can be easily inserted inand removed from the member 4, l provide them with linger-pieces orbuttons 20, which enter the recesses 11 in said member 4 when the twomembers are coupled. Upon the top of the body or casting oit the member5 l provide a loop 21, to which the usual holdback-strap 22 isconnected, so that the rear end ol the trace-section 3 is thus supportedand it will not be necessary to adjust and fasten the holdback eac'htime the animal is hitched up to the sha'lts. As shown,

The jaws or IOO IOS

this loop 21 spans the member 5 and is secured to it by the upper rivetor bolt 16, which passes through its apertured ends.

The construction, use, and advantages of the invention will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings. lt will be noted that when these improved tracesare used the animal may be quickly and easily hitched and unhitched bysimply connecting and disconnecting the two members of the coupling andwithout the necessity of adjusting and fastening the holdbacl-straps orsecuring the rear ends of the traces to the swingletree. The coupling isof simple and durable construction and, if desired, may be madeornamental.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination with a trace consisting of two sections, one carriedby a harness and the other by a vehicle, of a coupling connecting saidsections and consisting of detachable members, means for connecting oneof said members to a shaft, and means for cons necting a holdback to theother of said members.

2. The combination with a trace consistl signature in presence of twowitnesses.

ing of two sections, one carried by a harness and the other by avehicle, of a coupling connecting said sections and consisting ofdetachable members, a loop upon one of said members, a band upon saidloop to loosely engage a shaft, and a loop upon the other of saidmembers to receive a holdbacli-strap, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a trace consisting of two sections, one carriedby a harness and the other by a vehicle, of a coupling connecting saidsections and comprising two hollow members having the ends of thetracesections secured therein, one of said members being formed withrecesses or openings, spring actuated jaws or arms pivotally mounted inthe other of said members and adapted to engage said recesses oropenings, means upon one of said members to receive a holdback, andmeans upon the other of said members for attachment to a shaft,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a trace consisting of two sections, one carriedby a harness and the other by a vehicle, of a coupling connecting saidsections and comprising two hollow members having the ends of thetracesections secured therein, one of said members being formed withrecesses or openings, arms pivoted in the other of said members, aspring between said arms for forcing them apart, lugs upon the beveledouterends of said arms to enter said recesses or openings,

` a loop upon one of said members, a band upon said loop for engagementwith a shaft, and a loop upon the other of said members to receive aholdbacl-strap, substantially as 1 shown and described.

In testimony whereof l hereunto aix my WILLIAM H. FAILOR. vWitnesses:

E. T. HEFFELFINGER, C. A. BURKHOLDER.

